The Shadow of His Wings: The True Story of Fr. Gereon Goldmann, OFM

Was excellent to read a WWII story from the perspective of the "other side." Inspiring the story of Catholic Faith overcoming the many crosses that God puts in front of us everyday for us to grow stronger in trust in God as opposed to just trusting ourselves.

This book is a must-read! The ‘players’ in this story are impressive, historically and religiously. I found the details of WWII life in Europe from the German-side really interesting. Most importantly, the faith and trust and LOVE this priest shares for the Lord was truly remarkable and inspiring.

Fantastic book! Never heard of the stories of Christians like this during WWII. What an God loving, awesome person he was. Tells me that prayer is essential and alive!

An amazing story because it is true. His strength, faith and courage are inspiring

This is an amazing book - to say the least! The story told by Gereon Goldmann, a Catholic priest,begins in Germany a few years before the outbreak of WW II, and ends in post-war Japan. Goldman, a deeply religious young man, a seminarian preparing for the priesthood,is inducted into the Waffen-SS, and later into the regular German Army. Wherever he serves, he never hides his Catholic faith, not even from Heinrich Himmler, the infamous SS leader. Though Goldmann experiences combat on the western, eastern and southern war fronts, with his main responsibility caring for the wounded and dying, he proves himself a brave soldier. Because he never hides his opposition to Nazi ideology, the Gestapo keeps a file on him. He stands trial before a German court for "weakening the armed forces"[Through remarks he made], but is acquitted. Later, a charge of being involved in the July 1944 assassination plot against Hitler is dropped. He is received by Pope Pius XXII and eventually ordained a Franciscan priest; after the war he serves his God in different countries. Should a reader doubt this story, the author has photos and documents to prove it. In one photo he stands tall in his SS uniform; in another Himmler visits Catholic seminarians in the Waffen-SS. There are dozens of photos whose authenticity cannot be doubted. Goldmann cites names of well-known persons, places, churches and Catholic institutions in Germany, as well as events in Poland, France, Russia and Italy, most of which are known to this reviewer, who suffered through WW II as a German soldier. Yet something does not sound right, something more subjective than the casehardened events themselves. These are dialogues he cites with superior officers in the military, and with a Catholic nun, "Sister Solano." Since this is a sensitive subject, the reader may wish to know my credentials for saying this. I became a member of the Hitler Youth in 1932 and a soldier in the German army on 1 January 1940. I served in northern Finland. After the Russian Arctic advance and surrender of the Finns, I was deployed to Norway, where I survived until the end of the war. My exper-iences are documented in my book, "A Mind in Prison" (Brassey 2000). While Goldmann's veracity in describing events is beyond doubt, his dialogues with military superiors sound unreal to anyone who has been in the German army. I first thought he described these dialogues verbatim, but came to realize they could not have happened that way. Rather than the reasoned exchanges between equals Goldmann describes, the dialogues I had with superiors mostly consisted of shouts and threats, with quiet acquiescence from my sdie. He rightly describes many non-commissioned officers as sadistic thugs, and I attest to the accuracy of that portrayal. Goldmann's dialogues with Sister Solana are an unreal chain of prophecies in which she foretells almost his entire life. When he was still a boy, she predicts that he will become a priest twenty years later. She prophecies all of his military assignments to Russia, then France and Italy. She says he will meet Pope Pius XII in Rome, who will allow his ordination to the priesthood; a year later the Bishop of Algiers ordains Goldmann while he is a prisoner of war. I believe the author may have exaggerated Sister Solana's role to strengthen the faith of his Catholic readers, and to convert as many as possible who were not of his faith. The blend of Goldmann's religious and humanitarian works - the latter as an army medic - is consistently expressed in the book. In 1954, Fr. Goldmann arrived in Tokyo to begin a ministry as a parish priest to Japanese Catholics that lasted for 22 years. In summary, this is an amazing story. Even though the author occasionally oversteps the bounds of objective historical writing, the book is to be recommended to everyone interested in recent history, religion or philosophy. Bruno Manz

Fr Gereon is an example of what a Saint looks like. Amazing true story.

This came earlier than promised and came in new condition from the third party seller. This book was a read in the convent. It is an amazing true story of trust in Divine Providence that inspires one to also trust God's providence in your life, in all of the events that happen to you.

A saintly man and someone to imitiate. A really fascinating life story of a tenacious God loving man. Recommend to all

I expect that Father Goldmann has an excellent chance of being named a saint. His fortitude, dedication to a cause, Christian boldness and courage are very inspiring to read about. The book reads like an unbelievable novel, including narrow and timely escapes. The best and most awesome part of his story is the supportive prayer that he received from several sources and how God responded to those prayers. Truth is stranger than fiction, especially when a person submits totally to God and has good people praying for him or her.

This story is simply unbelievable. Everyone should read this book and see how much prayers and trust in providence can achieve in one's, and consequently, so many people's lives.

Excelente novela.

franchement, la lecture de ce livre laisse un gout amer... l'auteur est convaincu qu'il faut se battre physiquement pour défendre sa religion et relate comment, dans son enfance, il se battait contre leurs voisins protestants... il s'st servi de son arme pour "convaincre" un évêque de lui donner le droit de dire la messe... il décrit les japonais de son époque comme des quasi animaux... N’achetez pas ce livre, ...

This book is something amazing! I had never read similar book like this one. I hope a lot of people may read it!